Football matches should not be stopped following incidents of homophobia, according to the president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).
Ligue 1 games in Nice and Metz have been halted this season after discriminatory banners were displayed in the crowd, while a second-tier encounter early in the 2019-20 campaign between Nancy and Le Mans was also paused.
French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet was criticised when he suggested interrupting play is the wrong decision, but his view has been backed up by Nathalie Boy de la Tour.
"For a long time we have tolerated certain songs, but society no longer accepts them," she said on Wednesday. "We are not very favourable to a stoppage.
"Stopping the match is not the appropriate solution. It deprives everyone of an expected event. It is an extreme solution.
"Our supporters do not necessarily perceive the discriminating character of the words they can use.
"Our desire is to reduce this gap in perception between fan associations, LGBT associations and more generally society.
"We can chant and sing by using terms that are not in the register of discrimination and are not considered a crime."
France president Emmanuel Macron has called for the LFP and fans to work together on the issue of homophobia, while World Cup winning striker Antoine Griezmann has backed stopping matches when incidents occur.
